Think Before You Type (TBYT)

Lauren and Victoria Coaxum are teen sisters and the co-founders of Think Before You Type (TBYT). They were inspired to start TBYT last summer after seeing a lot of cyberbullying on the internet, specifically on Twitter. The girls were bothered by the negative effect that it had on others, so they decided to do something about it. TBYT is an anti-cyberbullying and positive self-esteem campaign with hopes of becoming a nonprofit. Its mission is to raise awareness about cyberbullying, promote positive self-esteem, and encourage young people to use the internet for good.

This past winter, TBYT’s Weekly Dares became a major part of the campaign. Every Sunday a video is posted on YouTube in which young people are challenged to do something to help themselves or their community, whether it’s over the internet or in the real world. These dares aren’t anything huge. They’re just little reminders of how simple it is to have a positive impact on those around you. The goal is to get others, specifically young people, involved in order to help them see the positive impacts of their choices and how great of a tool the internet can be when it’s used in the right way.

This summer, Lauren and Victoria decided to change-up the format of the dares. They’re calling them TBYT’s Summer Dares. The actual challenges will be the same as the rest of the year, but this time there will be prizes and guests in each video, so it’s actually a contest! Just for the summer, these dares are bi-weekly, so there will be plenty of time for people to complete them. The girls made a video explaining the contest, and they’re hoping that people will be inspired to enter and do something positive for those around them.

Lauren and Victoria are both students. Lauren will begin her second year of college in the fall of 2013, and Victoria will be a junior in high school. In cofounding TBYT and inspiring others to promote positivity, they’ve realized that their plans of becoming doctors and this current campaign are very closely aligned. They really enjoy helping people!

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Founded in 2006, PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center actively leads social change to prevent childhood bullying, so that all youth are safe and supported in their schools, communities, and online.